Saturday evening here in Winston-Salem against Wake Forest, Virginia was not only down 30-17 beginning the final quarter, but was limping to the finish line after being dominated by the Demon Deacons in the third quarter.
How bad was that third quarter for the ‘Hoos?
They were outscored 10-0, running only eight plays from scrimmage, while Wake had 24 snaps on offense.
Hall of Fame beat writer Jerry Ratcliffe, who drew the short straw and was assigned a seat on press row beside me, should be awarded a Purple Heart for having to listen to my crap for three hours.
It was, indeed, that bad.
But when Grady Brosterhous pushed through for a 1-yard sneak for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:07 left, giving UVA its first lead at 31-30, you might have thought Jerry was home free.
Not so fast!
I then went into a rant that Virginia had scored too quickly.
That’s me. The glass is not only half-full, it has a crack in it as well.
However, despite some last-second drama, the Cavaliers prevailed and walked off the field with an absolutely improbable win.
And they will take it.
ICYMI: Virginia 31, Wake Forest 30
- Live Coverage: UVA Football faces Wake Forest in ACC opener on Tobacco Road
- UVA Football: ‘Hoos, down two scores in the fourth, find a way to win
- Report Card: Grading UVA Football in the 31-30 comeback win at Wake Forest
- Scott German: Virginia posts ‘program win’ with rally at Wake Forest
Over my many years covering UVA Football, I’ve been in and near many Cavaliers locker rooms after games have ended.
Nothing beat the scene late Saturday night in the endzone of Allegacy Stadium.
Maybe it was more than just a dramatic come-from-behind win over Wake Forest.
It could be the program once again felt it was OK to be happy, to celebrate, to be kids again.
I didn’t forget the upset in Chapel Hill last season; this one just felt different.
Virginia coach Tony Elliott told me it just felt different Saturday, even after the disastrous third quarter.
“No one was hanging their heads on the sidelines. The energy was there, the body language was there, we knew we were still in the game,” said Elliott,
Seems as though Elliott knew this game was going to the wire.
“I told them at halftime, look, this game’s going to come down to somebody making a play, but you’ve got to be ready to make a play.”
His team didn’t disappoint him.
In the final minutes, Malcolm Greene jarred a catch loose from Taylor Morin for a fumble, and Antonio Clary completed the play by recovering the loose ball with 1:24 left.
That was the play Elliott was talking about at the break.
That was the stop the Virginia defense needed.
The Cavaliers held one last time as Wake Forest had one last no-timeout possession in the final minute.
The drive ended with a series of laterals that finally ended as time ran out.
No quit in the ‘Hoos
Plenty of mistakes in the first three quarters, but Virginia rallied from a 13-point deficit to earn a huge road win.
Defensively, the Cavaliers were sliced up on two precision-like scoring drives in the second half, and Anthony Colandrea‘s second interception of the game helped Wake to a double-digit lead.
But Virginia stayed in contact, and with the game on the line late, the UVA defense made the stops when it had to.
A statement win?
That’s a stretch, but no doubt this is a game that Virginia had to win.
Maybe more important than the win was the fashion in which the Cavaliers claimed the win.
You certainly don’t want to make a habit of falling behind by double-digits, but when you do, and still find a way to win, that’s a confidence-builder.
Elliott called this a “program game” earlier in the week.
Late Saturday evening, the Virginia football program is feeling a lot better about themselves.
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